SFDCS Executive Development Plan

Role:  Virtual Executive                 Developmental Focus: Empathy

Assumptions:

• Empathy is a flat spot and an opportunity for me.
• While I have made considerable process with empathy, focusing development on it over the next six months will help me move forward developmentally.
• My performance is connected to my ability to view, hold and appreciate the perspectives of others.
• I have a hard time understanding the feelings of others and how they relate to our interaction
• I'll make more money and get a higher return on my behavior if people are not turned off by my lack of empathy.
• I would rather ask for forgiveness than for permission.
• My intent is empathetic, yet my strengths in dominance, extroversion, pace and conformity override the perception of empathy by others.
• I can use my strengths and learn to hold them as object allowing me to choose more appropriate behaviors that others perceive as empathetic.
• Empathy is not a natural strength for me.
• Empathy extends me into the social awareness area with leverage in social skills.
• I need to practice deeper levels of questioning when I find myself being less empathetic than is appropriate.

Vision:

I see myself as being calm, patient and relaxed while I seek to understand others and the opportunities their perspectives present to improving performance.  I actively seek out the opinions of others as I rein in my own competitive nature.  I don't have to win them all and by helping others win I can improve my own position and make a contribution at the same time to my work, life and community.  Empathy is becoming a more natural way of being for me.

Values:

Empathy, Patience, Inquiry and Support

Principles:

• I seek to be a servant leader, while standing firm on principle.
• Give people a chance or space to communicate their perspective
• Inquire versus advocate
• Transpose myself to look at things from another's point of view
• Seek feedback often from valuable sources
• Involve others before making decisions
• Try to understand first before evaluating
• Slow down and allow the dust to settle before making decisions that affect others
• Practice reflection on why I'm not empathetic
• Use my strengths to help me become more socially aware
• Ask myself, what is going on in my awareness when I'm not empathetic

Purpose:

Create empathy and better relationships among my leadership team led by my example of patience and the willingness to solicit and support other perspectives.

Strategic Objectives: [I'm using the balanced scorecard approach]

Internal:

Value others first, then decide

External:

Involve others in my development

Financial:

Establish financial gain from increasing my empathy

Developmental:

Ask others for regular feedback , work with a coach

Key Success Factors:

Internal:

·         I notice feedback from others about what it says about the way I value them.

External:

·         1 conversation a week with key personnel

Financial:

·         Cash flow trend

Developmental:

·         Score positively on monthly feedback form in standards

Goals:

Internal:

·         Read over a list of statements in my feedback form at least once per business day using a tally form.

External:

·         When I sense things are moving in the wrong direction, I will make time for a session with that person within 1 business day to speak with them about issues.

·         Have a regular team check-in once per week where all I do is listen to my key personnel.

Financial:

·         Introduce one soft offer into my marketing channel per week designed to identify whether or not I am offering products and services that people find personally valuable.

Developmental:

·         Request feedback from three key people who I choose to involve in my development other than my coach.

Standards:

• Weave the other three lines of development into this one

• Establish a community of support

• Utilize form below for feedback a min of once per month with at least 3 key personnel and my coach.

The form is simple and an example is provided: Developing Empathy as an example:

-3 less effective to 3 more effective

NCN: No change needed

NA: Not enough information

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